PARIS – Huawei will build a factory in France regardless of the government’s decision to use its equipment in a new 5G network or not, said an official with the Chinese telecommunications giant.
The world’s largest telecommunications equipment maker said last week that it plans to build a manufacturing plant in France to allay global concerns over US accusations that Beijing may use Huawei’s equipment to spy.
The Shenzhen-based group, which denies that its equipment poses a security risk, is at the center of a storm pitting the United States against China over next-generation 5G mobile technology.
Europe has become a major battleground in this area and the French cybersecurity agency filters 5G equipment, including from Huawei, to deploy it in its new network.
“The factory will be built in France, regardless of the decision of the French government, because it is part of our strategy,” Minggang Zhang, deputy general manager of Huawei France, told Reuters.
Huawei said last week that it would spend 200 million euros ($ 223 million) in the first phase of the planting of the mobile base station plant, the exact location of which did not yet been announced.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Wednesday that the construction of a Huawei factory would not influence the government’s position on the three main 5G equipment manufacturers.
On paper, Huawei and its two European competitors, Nokia and Ericsson, are allowed to do business in France. But sources close to the French telecoms industry say they fear Huawei will be excluded even if there is no formal ban.
Asked whether Huawei’s plan to build the factory and create 500 jobs could be blackmail to buy goodwill from the French government during the next 5G tender, Le Maire said: “Nobody, and certainly not me, would not give in to any blackmail. ”
“The position that has been taken on 5G is very clear. We will not discriminate against any company, either Chinese or American. We are just looking out for our security and our strategic interests,” he added.
(Report by Mathieu Rosemain, Matthieu Protard; Additional report by Bertrand Boucey; Edition by Jan Harvey and Alexander Smith)
